Children Trapped in Tesla Die in Fire After Door Handles Reportedly Failed to Open | Carscoops

      A man attempted to rescue the occupants but could not open the doors of the crashed Tesla.

      13 hours ago

      By Brad Anderson

      Authorities in Germany attributed the incident to the electric vehicle's door handles after a driver and two children lost their lives.

      A witness tried to open the doors but was unsuccessful as flames rapidly engulfed the vehicle.

      Previous incidents have raised alarms about the safety of EV door handles in emergency situations.

      Tesla is not only facing scrutiny in the United States regarding its electric door handles. Following revelations that US safety regulators were investigating the Model Y's door handles due to alarming instances of parents being unable to access their children inside the vehicles, German police linked a similar design flaw to a crash earlier this month that resulted in a driver and two children’s deaths.

      On September 7, the Tesla veered off the road and quickly ignited. Images circulating online show that it was a Model S, which features the unique pop-out electric door handles. A witness to the accident, Roman Jedrzejewski, rushed to the scene and tried to rescue the occupants, but was unable to open the doors.

      Trapped Inside

      “I just grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran over. But … It didn’t help,” he recounted to German media, according to the New York Post. “I wanted to save the people. I tried to open the car, but it wouldn’t budge. It was already extremely hot from the flames, but the passenger side of the car appeared relatively unscathed. Damn it, I couldn’t help. It didn’t work. The car was partially suspended in a tree at head height, and it was burning at the front. But there was simply no way to get it open; I wanted to pull the children out.”

      One of the passengers, a 9-year-old, was able to escape, but the driver, a 43-year-old man, and two other 9-year-olds could not exit and perished in the fire.

      Local news outlet Ruhr Nachrichten reported that firefighters had difficulty controlling the blaze as it kept reigniting, likely due to the battery pack undergoing thermal runaway. The flames only diminished after the vehicle was completely consumed.

      Recurring Concerns

      This incident is not the first time the Model S’s pop-out door handles have been associated with a fatality. In early 2019, a man died after crashing his Model S into a palm tree, with police reportedly unable to open the doors before the fire spread and engulfed the vehicle.

      Under increasing criticism and pressure, Tesla announced it is revising its door handle design. Engineers are working on a single-button system that integrates both manual and electronic releases, aimed at facilitating exits for both drivers and rescuers.